Fundraising Talks – July 2025

Welcome to the July edition of Fundraising Talks.

Fundraising in higher education continues to evolve and be shaped by emerging trends and technologies. Advancement services teams are constantly exploring new ways to support successful fundraising, even as they navigate ongoing socioeconomic and political shifts. The “One Big Beautiful Bill Act,” signed into law on July 4, 2025, has introduced several changes to the U.S. tax code, which are likely to impact charitable giving patterns, especially starting in 2026. This will affect nonprofits as well as corporate and individual donors. At the same time, donor expectations and giving behaviors are evolving, prompting fundraisers to adopt new strategies and personalize donor engagement.

A recent BWF article, University Fundraising: Trends and Tips for Higher Ed Giving, provides five fundraising trends for universities to follow, as well as best practices to help universities fundraise more effectively. The five new trends that fundraisers should be aware of in 2025 include:

AI fundraising: AI tools are increasingly used for content creation, prospect research, task management, and recommendations for next steps in building donor relationships.

Importance of broad support: Fundraisers should broaden their donor pools by cultivating all constituents – alumni, current students, parents, faculty/staff, corporations, and foundations.

Young alumni outreach: Engage young alumni by providing career development opportunities and networking events.

Emphasis on sustainable relationships: Focus on building genuine and trustworthy relationships with donors.

Clear, inviting messaging: Craft messages clearly to create a strong sense of community and belonging among donors.

The article also outlines the following best practices to support successful fundraising:

Effective use of CRMs: This may include evaluating current systems to ensure they are used properly. Continuously evaluate products, conduct data appends, and maintain regular data hygiene.

Understand donor pool: Use prospect research to identify and assess donors.

Define audience personas: Segment donors and create models to better understand them based on shared characteristics, which will help fundraisers connect more effectively.

Create a multichannel marketing strategy: Utilize different communication channels such as emails, social media, direct mail, and websites for donor outreach.

Show the impact of donations: Be transparent and clearly show how donations are making a difference.
Offer flexible giving options: Provide multiple ways for donors to contribute to your organization, such as online donations, planned gifts, in-kind gifts, etc.

Make your university giving day spectacular: Set a goal, choose a specific theme, and plan in advance to help ensure a successful giving day.

Create a donor appreciation plan: Personalized videos, handwritten notes, and similar gestures will help build stronger relationships with donors.

Work with a strategic fundraising partner: External expertise or fundraising consultants can be helpful when launching fundraising campaigns.

The strategies and best practices outlined in the BWF article, specific to universities, will help enhance fundraising efforts. Even though some of these techniques and tools are already familiar, integrating them thoughtfully will elevate fundraising campaigns.

As always, please feel free to reach out to us with questions, comments, or for any assistance with fundraising research!

Best Regards,
Sapna and USM Advancement Research Team
Read more in this issue of Fundraising Talks>>